PRESERVATION

The art of staying human, when your world is on fire…

Live exhibition: March 19 to May 17, 2026
The Theatre Centre - 1115 Queen St. West, Toronto, Canada
FREE admission – second floor gallery
Hours: Monday-Friday: 7:30am to 6pm / Saturdays: 8:30am to 6pm / Sundays: 10 am to 6pm

Opening Event with Panel Discussion: March 18 at 7 p.m. at The Theatre Centre PWYC. Playwright and Preservation curator Rimah Jabr will be in conversation with Volcano Associate artist and TMU theatre professor Lisa Karen Cox. Space is limited.

Online Exhibition will begin on April 10, 2026 on this webpage.

About the project:

There has been too much cultural erasure in the world - theatres, cinemas, libraries, archaeological sites, universities - burned, bombed,  reduced to rubble, while too many of the artists who animated these spaces have been killed, imprisoned, silenced, displaced.

Preservation is an international project, produced by Volcano, to preserve cultural voices in the face of genocide, war and/or targeted violence. This iteration of Preservation is intended as the first in a series that will draw upon the points of view of artists in crisis zones across the globe.

Preservation / Palestine features short works from four internationally recognised Palestinian artists. Their work will be premiered both online and during a live exhibition in Toronto.

The work aims to give audiences perspective on Palestinian life from Palestinian artists, outside of a western-media lens.

Said Preservation curator, Rimah Jabr: “Recently, I have learned that presenting oneself as Palestinian often comes with certain stereotypes and expectations. What does this mean to you? How do you position yourself in relation to this stereotypical context? Is there something you believe deserves attention that someone from outside your environment would not expect? These were the prompts shared with our artists, to inform their work for Preservation.”

eVENT TEAM

ARTISTS